The Miami Heat did a ton of great things this offseason. They brought in Kyle Lowry, re-signed Duncan Robinson, and completed a slew of other important moves.
However, they did end up losing a couple of key pieces in the process. Among them were Trevor Ariza, fan-favorite Goran Dragic, and Kendrick Nunn.
Well, according to CJ McCollum of the Portland Trailblazers, the Heat did not handle Nunn’s situation well. In fact, McCollum believes that there is a double standard in the NBA.
Nunn was a restricted free agent this offseason, meaning they could match whatever offer he received as long as they held his qualifying offer. Well, they did in fact pick up that offer.
That’s not where it all went wrong, however. A few days into free agency, the Miami Heat decided to relinquish their qualifying offer on Nunn, making him a restricted free agent.
This meant he could sign wherever he wanted. Nunn ultimately chose the Lakers and signed a two-year, $10 million contract to join the team.
Many people believed Nunn was worth way more than this, and it was reported he could even receive offers upwards of $15 million. However, the Miami Heat holding onto his qualifying offer for so long hurt his chances of getting paid.
Since the Heat had Nunn’s qualifying offer, teams were likely unwilling to offer him contracts in fear of Miami simply matching it. Therefore, all the money available in free agency was spent elsewhere.
McCollum expressed his annoyance with this move on a recent episode of The Woj Pod with Adrian Wojnarowski. He also said that there is a double standard in the league when discussing owners vs when discussing players.
"“He [Kendrick Nunn] was gonna be a free agent. They basically waited until the money dried up, right? You correct me if I’m wrong. Have you (Wojnarowski) seen this happening in the league and not being discussed at all? Where they talk about players forcing their way out, player movement. But then what about the manipulation that goes into some of these situations where teams are waiting for the market to dry up before they release a player’s rights.”"
The Blazers shooting guard makes a valid point, but some would argue that that’s just how business works in the NBA. However, it doesn’t necessarily seem fair to Nunn.
What do you think of the whole situation? Did the Miami Heat scam Nunn out of millions of dollars? Or is that just how things work in the NBA?